Longtime gardener Mary Previte rarely shops in grocery stores during the summer.
She is too busy working in her garden plot at Crows Woods in Haddonfield.
“It’s just such a bountiful supply of everything from lettuce to spinach to onions,” the Haddonfield resident explained while walking through the community gardens, all the while pointing out which crops were doing well this year.
“These are cabbages. Look at how beautiful that is,” she said after locating a hefty, colorful vegetable patch.
Cucumber flowers were blooming in her garden and squash has had a bumper crop this year.
Tomatoes appeared later in the season than usual, but were bright red and ripe.
Zucchinis were plentiful enough to provide for Previte’s signature and coveted pineapple zucchini bread.
With crops growing in abundance, the gardeners have decided to give back.
“We’re starting a new initiative right now. We’re going to team up with the South Jersey Food Bank to have a place here to put any excess produce so we can give that to people in need,” said President Paul Schmeck of the all-volunteer community. “We just started.”
Helping as many people as possible through the gardens is what drives Schmeck, a gardener for as long as he can possibly remember.
“Anyone who’s growing vegetables, I think, is making a positive difference toward the earth,” he said.
One of his main goals is to transition the gardens, which have 80 plots and roughly 100 gardeners, into becoming fully organic.
Current guidelines state that organic methods are “strongly encouraged,” he said, however, if a new gardener’s plot becomes infested, they may start spraying pesticides from an area garden store.
The seasoned gardeners are always on hand to help those just starting out with any issues that may arise.
“I always wondered why we weren’t organic,” he mused.
“Most of us are grateful that we’re eating chemical-free vegetables,” added Previte.
The gardens have recently undergone an expansion to allow for interested parties to place their stake in some land.
Schmeck, an architect by trade, printed an image from Google Maps and sketched where he wished to put the new gardens.
He coordinated with borough officials to secure the expansion, explained Previte.
With the zoning of Haddonfield providing for houses to be closer together and thus more shade, a community garden adds to the town, the gardeners explained.
“People could use a place to grow veggies,” said Schmeck.
Gardener Paul Eckman is known for his corn stalks.
He was at the gardens tying up his falling sunflowers.
“What’s fun about gardening, especially at Crows Woods, is that every year is different,” he said. “Some years, the tomatoes are great. Other years, they’re not so great.”
Hot weather and varmints have posed the biggest risks to the produce this year, he explained, but fortunately, red tail hawks circle above, monitoring the populations.
“They help control the rabbit population,” he said.
The gardens, designed by the late Walt Saladik, have been in existence for about 30 years. The current location used to house the town dump.
“You could not find an earthworm here when we got here,” said Previte.
Nowadays, she sits on a bench with her Nook, listening to the birds and enjoying the peacefulness.
“There’s nothing lovelier than being out in the sunshine and fresh air and birds flying around,” she said.
Learn more about Crows Woods
To learn more about the rules of Crows Woods gardens, visit its website at crowswoodsgardeners.com. An application, directions to the gardens and contact information can also be found on the website.
Donate to the Food Bank of South Jersey
The Food Bank of South Jersey is located at 1501 John Tipton Boulevard, Pennsauken. A listing of events and hunger statistics related to the area can be found on their website. For more information, visit www.foodbanksj.org or call (856) 662–4884.
